
A photograph of Cranmer Courts on the corner of Kilmore and Montreal Streets. Pieces of masonry and chimneys have been removed from the building and placed on the ground in front. Wire fencing and road cones have been placed around the building to create a cordon.
A photograph of a waterproof sheet covering a hole in the roof of the Cranmer Courts building.
A photograph of Mike Hewson's installation 'Homage to the Lost Spaces' being installed on plywood covering the earthquake-damaged Cranmer Courts building.
A photograph of Mike Hewson's installation 'Homage to the Lost Spaces' being installed on plywood covering the earthquake-damaged Cranmer Courts building.
A photograph of Mike Hewson's installation 'Homage to the Lost Spaces' being installed on plywood covering the earthquake-damaged Cranmer Courts building.
A photograph of Mike Hewson's installation 'Homage to the Lost Spaces' being installed on plywood covering the earthquake-damaged Cranmer Courts building.
A photograph of Mike Hewson's installation 'Homage to the Lost Spaces' being installed on plywood covering the earthquake-damaged Cranmer Courts building.
A photograph of a broken brick wall beside the Amuri Courts car park building on Armagh Street. USAR codes have been spray painted in yellow on the wall.
The corner of Hereford Street and Manchester Street, which was formerly the site of the Manchester Courts building.
Severe damage to the corner of Cranmer Courts. The tower in the corner has crumbled, the bricks and roof falling into the street.
Severe damage to the corner of Cranmer Courts. The tower in the corner has crumbled, the bricks and roof falling into the street.
Damage to the Cranmer Courts building. Sections of the walls have collapsed and been boarded up with plywood sheeting.
Damage to the Cranmer Courts building. Sections of the walls have collapsed and been boarded up with plywood sheeting.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to St Elmo Courts on the corner of Hereford and Montreal Streets. There are large cracks in the building's façade. USAR codes have been spray-painted on one of the windows. Police tape has been draped around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Cranmer Courts on the corner of Montreal and Kilmore Streets. Two chimneys have been removed from the building and placed on the footpath in front. Various pieces of fallen masonry can also be seen on the footpath. Wire fencing and road cones have been placed around the building as a cordon.
A view inside the safety fence surrounding the Cranmer Courts on Montreal Street. Sections of masonry from the building have collapsed onto the footpath. In the background a crane can be seen working on the building.
Armagh Street, near the corner of Durham Street North, looking east-ish towards the Canterbury Provincial Council and Supreme Court Buildings.
Armagh Street, near the corner of Durham Street North, looking east-ish towards the Canterbury Provincial Council and Supreme Court Buildings.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Cranmer Courts on the corner of Montreal and Kilmore Streets. A chimney has fallen from the roof, damaging many of the roof tiles. A tarpaulin has been placed over a hole to protect the interior of the building from weather damage. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph submitted by Raymond Morris to the QuakeStories website. The description reads, "The New Zealand Express Co. Ltd. building (Manchester Courts) built in 1906 on the corner of Manchester and Hereford Sts. In its time it was Christchurch’s tallest office building. This painting is from the Raymond Morris Collection of earthquake demolished buildings.".
Damage to the Cranmer Courts building. Sections of the walls have collapsed, and wooden bracing has been placed across some of the windows.
The building which formerly housed the food court between Hereford and High Streets, now almost fully restored in preparation for Avonmore Tertiary Institute moving in.
A black and white historic photograph looking along Manchester Street, showing the building of the NZ Express Company, customs, shipping and forwarding agents (ca. 1910-1929).
The Manchester Courts building was a heritage building located in central Christchurch (New Zealand) that was damaged in the Mw 7.1 Darfield earthquake on 4 September 2010 and subsequently demolished as a risk reduction exercise. Because the building was heritage listed, the decision to demolish the building resulted in strong objections from heritage supporters who were of the opinion that the building had sufficient residual strength to survive possible aftershock earthquakes. On 22 February 2011 Christchurch was struck by a severe aftershock, leading to the question of whether building demolition had proven to be the correct risk reduction strategy. Finite element analysis was used to undertake a performance-based assessment, validating the accuracy of the model using the damage observed in the building before its collapse. In addition, soil-structure interaction was introduced into the research due to the comparatively low shear wave velocity of the soil. The demolition of a landmark heritage building was a tragedy that Christchurch will never recover from, but the decision was made considering safety, societal, economic and psychological aspects in order to protect the city and its citizens. The analytical results suggest that the Manchester Courts building would have collapsed during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and that the collapse of the building would have resulted in significant fatalities.
A photograph of earthquake damage to the Cranmer Courts on the corner of Kilmore and Montreal Streets. Masonry and other rubble is sitting on the footpath in front. Wire fencing has been placed around the building as a cordon.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Cranmer Courts on the corner of Montreal and Kilmore Streets. One of the gables of the section of the building on the corner has crumbled. Ties have been placed around all of the gables as bracing.
A photograph of the earthquake damage to the Cranmer Courts on the corner of Montreal and Kilmore Streets. The tops of the gables of the section of the building on the corner have crumbled. Ties have been placed around all of the gables as bracing.
The site of the Historical Court House in Kaiapoi, completely clear now. Wire fencing still bars off the entrance to the site, keeping people away.
The damaged Cranmer Courts on the corner of Kilmore and Montreal Streets. The corner of the building has crumbled onto the street, which is now littered with broken masonry. Wire fencing placed around the building after the 4 September 2010 earthquake has managed to keep the debris away from the road.
A photograph of St Elmo Courts on the corner of Hereford and Montreal Streets. A red sticker on the door indicates that the building is unsafe to enter.